KOCHI: The discordance in the ruling United Democratic Front surfaced even before the ink dried in the index finger of the electorate with Anto Antony, the UDF candidate from Pathanamthitta Loksabha seat and the government chief whip PC George indulging in a public spat over the chances of the UDF victory in Pathanamthitta. Mr. Antony alleged that George, also Kerala Congress vice chairman, tried to defeat him in the constituency and George retaliated by calling Antony, a ‘dacoit’.
KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran disapproved the statement war by leaders of the two constituents of the UDF after the polls. “It is not right to make statements after the polls”, he told reporters at Thiruvananthapauram, and added that if “George had any complaints he should have raised it in the UDF before the elections”.
The spat between Antony and George started with the later expressing doubts about the chances of victory for Antony in the Pathanamthitta Loksabha seat.
Reacting to the statement Anto had said that he will romp home comfortably despite persons such as George working to defeat him in the constituency. “Even George himself might not have voted for me”, he said. “George is taking an anticipatory bail after doing maximum harm for us, Antony said.
George denied the charges of working for the defeat of Antony and described him as a “dirty person”. George also said that Congress had erred in nominating an “imposter” as the candidate in Pathanamthitta
